ISLAMABAD/MUGLA: Türkiye has taken over the charge of NATO’s Response Force Maritime Component from the United Kingdom for one year.
The command of the component will be performed by the Turkish maritime force until 31 January 2024.
The head of TURMARFOR and the Turkish Surface Action Forces Rear Admiral Huseyin Tigli said that NATO has five headquarters with this capability and the headquarters of TURMARFOR is one of them.
NATO’s headquarters capabilities
He said that NATO’s large headquarters can plan and coordinate comprehensive operations and can coordinate the command.
TURMARFOR Cuneyt, a Turkish Navy official and the secretary general of Talayman, said that the high naval component commands were established to conduct operations in case of crisis and war.
Noting that France, UK, Türkiye, Spain and Italy have these kinds of headquarters, he said that Germany was on its way to achieving it.
He added that possible missions were determined as contributing to the protection of territorial integrity, as collective defense, to pioneer force operations, support operations, and protect critical infrastructure and security.
Cuneyt further said that the headquarters of TURMARFOR started work in 2020 with the appointment of the core staff.
Türkiye will hand over the command to Italy a year later. –AA/APP
